Question:
Are we better teachers if we stay current with what interests our pupils? TV, gaming, YouTubers, music etc. It's something that is often on my mind.
Does knowing about what children are in to help us teach them or is it not important at all?

I'm not saying try and be their best mate, and maybe it's down to teaching styles, but I certainly find it easier to make a connection with my class when I can converse with them on their interests. I'm not sure it makes me a better teacher, but makes things easier.

Maybe there's a difference on answer depending on what age we teach.

It's part of a wider issue of how we understand the children we teach (which I'll save for another day as I've not really gathered my thoughts on that yet).